Our reporter Wei Yiping reports from Beijing
An era of global climate governance without US leadership is coming.
At 3 pm on June 1, US Eastern Time, US President Trump announced that the United States will withdraw from the Paris Agreement. This has led the United States, Syria, and Nicaragua to join the camp that does not participate in global climate governance.
This has to remind people of the story 16 years ago. In the context of the US government's signing of the Kyoto Protocol in 1998, the Bush administration announced its refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol in 2001. Subsequently, Canada, Japan, Australia and other major countries also gradually withdrew from the "Kyoto Protocol."
This time, China, Germany, France, Italy and other countries have reaffirmed their positions in fulfilling the commitments of the Paris Agreement.
On June 2, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying responded at the regular meeting of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the Paris Agreement embodies the broadest consensus of the international community on climate change. All parties should cherish and maintain this. Hard-won results.
French President Mark Long delivered an English speech, criticizing Trump’s move as “really a mistake†and welcomed people who were disappointed with Trump’s decision to work in France.
UN Secretary-General Guterres also issued a statement through a spokesperson saying that the United States’ announcement of the withdrawal of the Paris Agreement is “extremely disappointing†for the world’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote global security.
However, the United States remains a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate, and can participate in the follow-up negotiations of the Paris Agreement and continue to safeguard the interests of the United States at the climate conference.
Withdraw from the Paris Agreement shockwave
It is not surprising that Trump, who has demonstrated the skeptical position of climate change during the presidential campaign, made the decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement.
During the Paris Climate Conference in December 2015, 195 Contracting States, including the United States, reached the Paris Agreement. The agreement came into force on November 4, 2016, with the aim of keeping the global average temperature increase within 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level, or, moreover, controlling the temperature rise to within 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Among them, the United States promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, which is 26% to 28% lower than that of 2005, equivalent to reducing emissions by 1.6 billion tons per year.
At the press conference on June 1, Trump said that the Paris Agreement harmed the US economy and was unfair to the United States. He criticized the Paris Agreement for the need of developed countries to raise $100 billion annually to support developing countries, and accused the Paris Agreement of passing the Green Climate Fund to transfer US wealth to other countries.
When the decision was made, it was met with numerous objections. In his speech, Trump named Pittsburgh to endorse his decision. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto immediately responded on Twitter: As Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will abide by the guidance of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy and our future.
Trump also cited MIT research in his speech, saying that even if all countries fully implement the Paris Agreement, the impact on the climate is very small. By 2100, the impact on global temperature rise is expected to be less than 0.2 degrees Celsius.
MIT researchers responded that in the baseline scenario, the global temperature rise to 4.2 degrees Celsius by 2100. Full implementation of the current commitments of the Paris Agreement and the existing mid-term strategy for the century will reduce this data to 3.3 degrees Celsius with a gap of 0.9 degrees Celsius.
Technology companies such as Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft have said that the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement will have adverse consequences.
Bloomberg and Bloomberg Charity Foundation founder and UN special envoy for urban and climate change Michael Bloomberg said that mayors, governors and business leaders from different parties are signing a joint statement to support the Paris agreement and will submit it to the UN . The Bloomberg Philanthropy Foundation will work with partners to fund approximately $15 million to cover the United States share of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will be lost due to US exits.
Although many business leaders will continue to adhere to their climate actions, the US states that support the Paris Agreement can form the fifth largest economy in the world, but without the support of the federal government, Yang Hongwei, a researcher at the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission, believes that low-carbon technologies in the United States R&D and investment will be adversely affected, and some policies, especially those in the energy and environment sector, may have some adjustments.
Energy Foundation CEO and co-founder Eric Hayz believes the move will hurt the US economy, especially the fast-growing clean energy industry. This decision will also weaken the authority of the United States to dominate various global issues. Under the inevitable trend of the world's transition to clean energy, it will clear the way for other countries to come forward and gain political and economic benefits.
Andrew Stil, Chairman and CEO of the World Resources Institute (WRI), said that this decision based on economic thinking in the last century will bring the United States back into the economic development model of the last century. This decision seriously underestimated the innovation power of US companies 310328, the fund, will affect the ability of American companies to cope with the new economy of the 21st century.
Global climate governance is hit hard
Compared with the refusal to ratify the "Kyoto Protocol" 16 years ago, the United States' withdrawal from the entry into force of the Paris Agreement will not be less harmful to global climate governance.
Statistics show that in 2015, the total amount of global carbon dioxide emissions was about 36.3 billion tons, and the United States ranked second in carbon dioxide emissions, accounting for 15%.
Without the constraints of the international climate system, it will have a negative impact on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. According to Yang Hongwei, between 2008 and 2012, the EU completed the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol's commitment to reduce emissions by 8% compared to 1990. The US carbon emissions began to decline in the later stages of this phase.
Moreover, as the world's largest economy, the withdrawal of the United States will drag down the decline in the efficiency of human response to climate change and delay the process of global climate governance. Sixteen years ago, after the United States refused to ratify the "Kyoto Protocol," many industrial countries followed suit. The decision by the United States to withdraw from the Paris Agreement does not rule out the possibility that countries with a wait-and-see attitude will interfere with later negotiations.
In addition, Chai Yumin, director of the International Department of the National Climate Strategy Center, said that as the most important mechanism besides the national independent contribution, climate funds will also be adversely affected.
The Paris Agreement reaffirmed the capital contribution obligation of developed countries to invest 100 billion U.S. dollars per year to help developing countries reduce emissions by 2020, and relax the sources of funds. Private funds can also be counted, but the financing of green climate funds is far behind. expected. The withdrawal of the largest contributor, the United States, and the previous efforts by Trump to cut US funding for climate change will affect global action to address climate change.
On the other hand, however, the US exit has spurred other countries to recognize the need to respond urgently to climate change and take action. It is reported that June 1 - held in Brussels on the 2nd nineteenth China - EU leaders meeting agenda will include climate change, clean energy, especially with relevant content, "Paris Agreement" executed.
After the meeting, Chinese and European leaders will be expected to pass a joint meeting communique, as well as a separate communique on climate change and clean energy.
(Editor: Cui Chen HX015)
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